As is generally well known, gasoline powered internal combustion devices which are widely used in transportation, industrial and home applications place great demand on fossil fuels and produce environmentally harmful pollution.
Efforts have been made, particularly in automotive applications, to replace such internal combustion devices with alternative systems capable of generating energy to power automotive vehicles. Specifically, electric and gas-electric hybrid vehicles have been lately available in limited quantities from major automotive manufacturers.
Electric vehicles have been noted for being more environmentally friendly than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Electric engines are several times more efficient than internal combustion engines because they are not limited by heat differential considerations and have no significant friction creating sliding mechanisms.
Generally, available electric vehicles are powered by either electrical batteries or fuels cells. Strictly solar powered electric cars are used only for technology proven races.
The main problem with battery electric vehicles is their limited range in comparison with gasoline powered vehicles and limited life due to a low number of charge-discharge cycles provided before battery replacement is required which also is subject to environmental disposal issues. Additional problems are related to high costs associated with battery recharging and battery storage space requirements.
It is well known that a fuel cell is an electrochemical cell in which the energy of a reaction between a fuel, such as liquid hydrogen, and an oxidant, such as liquid oxygen, is converted directly and continuously into electrical energy. Electric cars operated on fuel cells require as much as four times more energy per unit distance than an electric car when hydrogen production energy is included and presently require expensive membranes manufactured from platinum and other rare metals.
Hybrid vehicles which use an electric engine and grid-rechargeable batteries for acceleration and slow speed driving, with the ability to switch to gasoline powered internal combustion for cruising, address the range problem associated with an electric vehicle and improve fuel efficiency of internal combustion engine vehicles. However, these hybrid vehicles are disadvantaged by both environmental pollution issues and high life cycle cost of electric batteries.
Therefore, there is a need for an environmentally friendly apparatus capable of generating an electrical energy which is inexpensive to operate and maintain.